


Belligerent Brothers

by BlackPencilKitten



Series: Loqi Week 2018 [6]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Brothers Loqi and Prompto, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-12 22:25:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16004555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackPencilKitten/pseuds/BlackPencilKitten
Summary: After all he had done Prompto was nice to him, he kept trying to become friends with him, and he couldn’t figure out why. Why was he attempting to befriend the person who hurt him, why was he so determined to be nice to the person who abused him?He couldn’t figure it out.





	Belligerent Brothers

**Author's Note:**

> Day 6's Prompts: Forgiveness and/or Brothers Prompto and Loqi.
> 
> Credit to my wonderful friend Grif, as this is a summarized version of an event that happens in one of our soon-to-be-made fics.

Camp was made without a word, the glowing runes of the haven a familiar, welcoming sight. They rarely differed from haven to haven, allowing a routine to be built. Tent on one rune, cooking setup by those two, chairs at the four corners of the one underneath the fire. The only thing that wasn’t routine was the silence and the addition of another… party member.

Said addition hung back while camp was set up, their armor hesitantly ditched for an equally hesitantly given hoodie. With the hood pulled over their head, they resigned to making themself as little of a bother and as invisible as possible, keeping a few yards from the haven. Close enough for a quick retreat should any danger come, and far away enough that they didn’t have to hear the whispers that started right after they left.

It was an understatement to say the last month and a half had been tough. For one, the gang didn't  _ want _ to keep Loqi around. Prompto was back to his normal, optimistic self after verbally taking his transferred rage out on Loqi for  _ weeks _ , and now he refused to let them kick him out.

_ “He’s done nothing but hurt you, Prompto! Listen, we’re glad that you’re back but we don’t  _ **_need_ ** _ him around anymore!” _

_ “I’ve done nothing but hurt him too! I may be back to ‘my old self’, but he isn’t!” _

_ “His old self isn’t a good thing!” _

_ “Then I’ll make him change his old self into something better! We’re brothers, and it’s about damn time we started acting like it! If you want to get rid of him, then I’m leaving too!” _

It ended on the extremely hesitant compromise that so long as Loqi wasn’t any trouble, he could stay. Trouble being anything that slowed them down or harmed them.

To their surprise, he never stepped out of line. He never did  _ anything _ , actually. Ardyn had punted Loqi over with the excuse that ‘he’s not acting himself and I’m tired of it’, and now they were starting to understand what he meant. Loqi didn’t make a sound, kept considerable distance from them but never slowed them down, and if it wasn’t for the fact that he  _ definitely _ existed, it was almost like he wasn’t there at all. A ghost that does nothing except keep Prompto occupied, which at least was a good thing.

Loqi may never get in the way, but his complete inaction was still  _ worrying _ . The man rarely ate, hardly ever reacted to what was going on, and no one caught sight of him actually sleeping. Despite this, he kept up easily and fought well in battle, luring out and defeating monsters solo as they handled the rest of the group. How he managed it was a mystery they couldn’t solve. It was like he was on autopilot: he did what he was told, then… waited until he was told to do something else, otherwise he did nothing.

Unless they wanted to lose Prompto too, they watched him do everything in his power to show Loqi hospitality. He’d include Loqi in conversations by asking yes or no questions, he included him in his photos even if he kept his face obscured, anything that Loqi did he had a complementary reaction to it. In battle he’d compliment him on his work, and he wasn’t hesitant in showing physical affection with the usual arm around the shoulders or playful punch. It didn’t matter that he already knew the answer, he’d ask Loqi if he wanted a spot in the tent and ignore the cautious looks from the others, and when he didn’t eat much at all Prompto never judged, he either saved it for later or gave it to someone else.

It confused everyone else, including Loqi.

For the brief time that Prompto had been stuck with him while he was still with Ardyn, Loqi had made his life _hell_. All the rage that he had internalized and generated over years came out in nonstop insults and physical violence. Multiple times they almost got into fistfights because by the astrals he wanted nothing more than for Prompto to **_suffer_**. Loqi was taken away from his own _family_ in Insomnia and Prompto had _replaced him_ , stolen the life he deserved and it wasn’t _fair_. He fought and he screamed and it was _never enough_ , never enough to get his old life back so he resorted to using Prompto as a punching bag.

Prompto started his revenge the day they met with the rest of the Prince’s gang. After Loqi had revealed his origins as an MT to them, Prompto revealed Loqi’s as a Lucian, and what was supposed to be an actual fistfight dissolved into himself breaking down  _ sobbing _ as Prompto left with absolute fury to join his group again.

What happened next was all a blur. Loqi was dumped with the Lucis group, used as a verbal punching bag, and then Prompto was back to normal, and yet they still kept him, even after he’d outlived his use. After all he had done Prompto was  _ nice _ to him, he kept trying to become  _ friends _ with him, and he couldn’t figure out  _ why. _ Why was he attempting to befriend the person who hurt him, why was he so  _ determined _ to be nice to the person who  _ abused him? _

He couldn’t figure it out.

Rustling from behind him startled Loqi out of his thoughts, and he turned his head only to see none other than Prompto sitting down beside him, two plates in hand with his usual, wide smile.

“Hope you don’t mind Trevally--Iggy wanted to use up the fish before it went bad. Help yourself!”

Loqi stared emptily at the plates, and after a few moments he took the one Prompto offered him. He didn’t have any right to complain, being an unwanted guest, but he wouldn’t lie if fish was one of his least favorite foods. He picked at it with his fork, focusing his gaze somewhere up ahead. Prompto filled his role of being the talker, relaying what tomorrow’s plans would be while occasionally switching the subject by asking questions he expected no answers to, and eventually just talking to himself.

After eating a few bites of his food--salty, which balanced out the fact that it was Fish--Loqi mustered up the strength to speak. His voice was quiet and raspy from underuse, but it got the point across.

“Don’t you hate me, after everything I’ve done?”

“Yeah, no shit.”

That was not the answer he expected, and it showed as he blinked owlishly at Prompto. Prompto shrugged as he continued eating, talking between bites.

“Look man, I’m not gonna forgive you for what you did--it just ain’t happening--but I don’t expect you to forgive me either. We were both shitty, even if you started it.”

Thank the astrals for the darkness, because Loqi knew his embarrassed blush after he  _ snorted _ couldn’t be seen.

“But hey, I’m not gonna ditch ya. So we both suck, we can do better, and we can’t do that if we’re not together. At least, if we wanna be better brothers.” Prompto fell silent for a few seconds, and he took a deep breath before he continued. “And look, I don’t hate you enough to send you back to Niflheim, alright? It’s neither of our homes, is it?”

That last sentence was like a shot through the heart, and what strength he had left after speaking vanished. Barely a second passed before tears started falling, and Loqi didn’t even try to stop himself as sobs forced their way out. Both plates of food were moved to the side as Prompto watched in both surprise and worry, before placing a hand on Loqi’s back and gently rubbing it.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to hit a nerve… “

“N-No, you’re fine, really. I’m just--” Loqi stopped his sentence halfway, struggling to think through his sudden onset of emotions.

“It’s alright, Lo. Everyone needs to cry sometimes.”

The sobs continued for a few minutes, Prompto providing quiet reassurances throughout. Eventually they died down, leaving nothing but sniffles and hiccups. Hesitating this time, Prompto leaned his head on top of Loqi’s hooded one, squeezing his shoulder in another act of comfort. Though tired from his cry, Loqi forced himself to keep talking.

“Hehe… I think that’s the n-nicest thing you’ve said to me.”

This time Prompto was the one snorting, before apologizing immediately afterwards. Loqi mumbled an ‘it’s fine’ before falling silent. The others were surely getting suspicious by now, and they really should head back before they came to get them themselves. However, neither brother moved, staying where they were in a slightly awkward, but calm silence. A few more minutes passed before distant footsteps and calls broke the silence, and before they gathered their plates to head back, they spoke one final time.

“... I know you don’t forgive me, and I don’t expect you to, but… I’m sorry.”

“... I know you are Lo. I know you are.”


End file.
